Abscess Sufferers

[mariasmummy]

Hello,

If anyone has experience with an abscess please post me your story. I am 2 weeks post op with a reasonably large wound and I think i am looking at 1-2 months of healing.I cannot breastfeed from the infected breast as hole is so close to nipple and a lot of leaking (either milk or pus or bodily fluids) doctors say don't feed from it, nurses and counselors say do and general asdvice is get the milk out. Most sane people would stop breastfeeding after this but I'm keen to see it through and am feeding baby fine from other breast with occasional top ups. Baby is fine but I wish I had taken care of myself and got to doctors earlier.

All the best,
Mariasmummy

[nicnac73]

Congrats mariasmummy, hope 12 weeks check up goes well.
Happy Mother's day to all especially those suffering with an abscess at the moment.

[phoebebouffet]

Good luck, have been meaning to post on here since my lo was born 13 days ago, bf was going really well for me 2nd time round a completely different baby, latching on well, however I have returned to this thread today foor advice as some of my symptoms hAve returned, I feel fine no temp, not in masses amounts ofpain, but the bottom half of my breast is bright red, been to docs they gave me antibiotics, but redness is now spreading, so I'm waiting for docs to ring me back again, see my post from tpday, can i feed from just one breast? Can't do a link to it on my phone sorry, so wish i had better news for you, that's just my experience anyway, things might be different for you, I can't imagine they'd advise you noy to bf cos me don't do that do they, and no one mentioned it to me, so good luck and let us know how you get on!

[phoebebouffet]

Sorry for typos , last sentence is supposed to read mw don't do that.

[bunnyfrance]

Hi phoebe,
It sounds like mastitis, so I would keep on with the antibiotics (how many days did they give you?) and very importantly, keep feeding on the "bad" side. It's really important to keep it drained. And if it's not too painful, keep going! Also try hot compresses.

mariasmummy, have you seen the specialist and what advice did they give you?

[NatChrisBump]

I have a feeling that I too have an abscess. I've been on anti-biotics for the last week and yesterday the small blocked duck that I have on my breast has developed a 'head' (SORRY!!!) I've got an appointment with the GP this afternoon and hope that there is something they can do. It's right where the rim of my pump goes so I've not managed to pump for the last couple of days as I've been worried about rupturing it. Baby is using a breast shield so he is managing to feed from it. I just feel so bloody useless at this bfing malarky and to be honest just sit here in tears most of the time. It's been 3 weeks and I seriously think I'll be jacking it in.

My hubby is a superstar and I don't know what I would have done without him.

[phoebebouffet]

ahh Nat, don't feel useless, you've done a fantastic job so far, I too am very lucky to have a v.supportive husband to help out, I'd be close to giving up too if he was difficult to get latched on or fed for hours in the night ( as my previous lo did) but things just seem to be going so much better for me this time, am gonna stick it out for a bit longer yet. I stopped after 3 weeks last time as my 1st never latched on properly wouldn't feed for longer than a couple of minutes, so was always hungry, always feeding, see my post from earlier on this thread.

Bunny I've got 7 days of antibiotics, not seen a specialist but do have the number, have been meaning to ring all morning but not had chance due to the small feed-a-thon that's been going on here x

[nicnac73]

pheobebouffet - you could always just pump from the affected breast if you are worried, but keep it drained and flowing through whatever. If the abs don't work then shout. Reoccuring theme with this thread is you have to be really assertive to get the right care.

NatChrisbump - a yellow head is sign of pus which means I would say you definitely have an abscess which probably needs aspirating in a clinical environment like a hospital although there are some people on here whose abscesses burst in the shower like a big zit and that was it! Probably depends on how close to the surface it is. Hope you got good help at the GPs today.

Abscesses come in all shapes and sizes and it doesn't necessarily seem to mean the end of bfing but prompt and accurate treatment is really important as an abscess is like a ticking time bomb. Don't delay

Good job everyone seems to be getting support at home with the emotional fall out. Just hope you all get good medical care too.

Big hugs and good luck to everyone.

[mariasmummy]

Pheobe what is latest news? Well done for all the hard work. Did you do any pumping at all before the symptoms? In my mind I have this idea that as long as the breasts are drained because so much milk comes in at the beginning.... then with draining could help?

But everyone so different and some of us unlucikier than others!

Bunny- i did not see a specialist but I did ask the midwife who said that there is no evidence that an abcess will return. but! well who knows. I am wandering what to do.

Well done everyone!

[NatChrisBump]

Sorry to re-bump: it was an abscess and after much tooing and froing between depts at Medway Hospital I had surgery last week. James was able to stay with me and the staff were just great. I have a 6cm hole as where they tried to aspirate they caused another abscess so drained both. I was in for 3 days and encouraged to bf on the good boob. The hole is too close to the nipple to do anything on bad boob. I have a team of fantastic district nurses coming in everyday as the wound is open and packed. I just feel 100% better and really positive about the future. I think I was dreadfully ill before the op. (I have also been on a course of ab's - flucloxacillin). I'm just hoping it doesn't come back!

[lynbrown]

My daughter, a new mum, has an abcess on her bottom possibly caused by a hemotoma after birth ( baby now 9 weeks). Nurses come every day to clean the wound but I wonder if anyone has any tips we could use to speed the process along, also, can we be sure it wont come back?

[bunnyfrance]

Hi lynbrown, sorry to hear what your daughter is going through. Can't be pleasant - this thread is specifically about breast abscesses and associated feeding problems - you may want to start a new thread in general health. Hope she gets better soon.

nat, 6cm!! Good grief that's huge!! But glad to hear you're feeling much better and are still able to feed. Yes, I remember only realising how ill I'd been once it was all over. Your body has been fighting a big infection.

[juststarting]

I posted on this thread way back in December '09 after having surgery on a great big breast abscess myself. As people have said, I hadnt realised how ill I was until I started to get better (took a while, I had a second abscess in an even more intimate location they thought may have been caused by a hematoma - also needed surgical drainage). But I just thought you may like to know that I went on breast feeding for just under 14 months, from both breasts, with perhaps one further bout of mastitis that was easily controlled with anitbiotics. The wound took four months of packing to heal, but it did heal - I was lucky it was high on the breast so, while very visible, didnt stop me feeding. I did get in a bit of a predicament for a while where because I was trying desperately to keep the boob drained I was pumping after every feed so just producing WAY more than my son needed for a while! I was so worried about it recurring, and so undecided about whether to keep feeding. I'm not saying I made the right choice to keep going, but it worked out fine, and I am glad I did. Excpecting my second in November and scared of going through it all again, but I hope to start out armed with more knowledge and experience and make the best I can of it. That breast abscess was one of the most painful things I have been through, and I hope all of you who have one get better and heal soon.

[bunnyfrance]

Hi,

Calling nicnac and mariasmummy and anyone other ex-abscess sufferers who are pregnant! How are things going? Nicnac, have you had your baby yet, I remember you saying you were due in July?

I've got another 5 weeks to go - all well on the breast front, so far, so good.

[BizzeeBee]

I've got my first (and hopefully last) breast abscess. I had a scan on Friday afternoon - it is 1.5 by 2 cm. I have been started on anti biotics for the weekend and got to go to hospital tomorrow am where they will decide what to do next.

I'm feeling very upset because hospital says DS cannot stay with me if I have to stay overnight. He is 7 weeks old. I'm hoping that I will be home by the evening.

I don't really understand how I ended up with an abscess. I had mastitis, and when in saw my gp a week ago I had no fever or feeling unwell, so no antibs. I still haven't had fever or felt that unwell and now I have the abscess. And bizarrely it is on my good side so most likely to be well drained.

I don't have a stock of expressed milk so doing some pumping to try and get a feed for tomorrow. Today we have to try and get DS to take a bottle. He had some when he was in hospital 6 weeks ago when there were issues get my milk supply up. But since then he has had no bottles.

Does anyone have any advice or words of encouragement for me? Thanks.

[bunnyfrance]

Hi BizzieeBee,

Oh no, how awful for you. Don't know if you've read the rest of the thread (it's very long!). My abscess was similar, in that I never had a fever or felt particularly unwell, and there was no real reason why it happened. I had been feeding for 15 months.

Try and look on the positive side - you've had a scan (many of us have had to fight for weeks just to get that) and you are on antibiotics. What kind? My second abscess was cured by antibiotics only - pristinamycine (pretty strong stuff), there is hope you won't have to undergo surgery.

You've already been feeding for 7 weeks, that's great. Take a hand pump into hospital with you, just to keep your supply up. Who will be looking after your baby while you're in hospital?

Please come back and let us know how things are.

[BizzeeBee]

Update: went in yesterday am and dr immediately decided to operate. Had operation early pm and was able to come home in the evening.

DH looked after DS. A bit of a nightmare with DS projectile vomiting. Not sure if it's formula or a bug problem. He also threw up breast milk in evening.

Can give DS breast milk until later due to anaesthetic. Currently pumping good side with machine, and doing bad side with my hand which is tough, but what I was told to do. Half the breast is covered with dressing. Got nurse coming everyday to do the wound packing.

I have been strongly advised by two gynaes to stop breast feeding.

Feeling frustrated because I finally felt I had got over EMCS and now I have this to deal with.

[bunnyfrance]

You poor thing, BizzeeBee. You've been so strong, going through an EMCS and now this operation. Hopefully the worst is now over. It's good that you could go home so quickly. How is your DS, still ill?

Please don't feel forced to give up breastfeeding if you don't want to. My surgeon over here in France told me their new policy is to encourage women to breastfeed after abscess surgery. Telling women to wean is outdated advice, apparently. Do you know of a lactation consultant you could contact for support? You could also continue feeding just from the good side. But it's really up to you, how strongly you feel about it. Some women on this thread have continued feeding despite the odds, others have stopped as they felt their bodies had been through enough.

Please let us know how you get on.

[BizzeeBee]

Thank you foor the kind words bunnyfrance. I am in France too and being told to stop! They are concerned that if I continue it will happen again.

At the moment I feel like I have been through enough, and with no family here it makes it even tougher. I also have to consider my DH who is the one who has to sort everything out if I am ill. I'm keeping pumping to keep some supply going, but I don't really want to carry on at the moment.

DS hasn't been sick for a few hours. :) We have made up the formula more watery than we should so it isn't so rich, and will build it up to full strength again. Can BF this afternoon so that will help him I hope.

[bunnyfrance]

How funny that you're also in France! Whereabouts? I'm in Alsace. Now it makes sense that you got the scan and the operation done so quickly...

My surgeon is admittedly young and a bit unconventional. My gynae and the radiologist who did the scan also told me to wean immediately, which I did, and then the surgeon said no, no, no, that might be what caused the second abscess! Ho hum, you just never know who to believe or what to do, do you!

It's so hard without family support, isn't it. We don't have anyone near either, and it's at times like these that you realise how much support is lacking.

Good thing your DS hasn't been sick again, though.

Thinking of you.

[BizzeeBee]

The nurse came yesterday to do the first gauze and dressing change. The whole experience has left me in no doubt that the best thing for me is to stop bf. The nurse said it was so large that I should definitely stop. I simply cannot cope with trying to keep going, and really don't want to risk another abscess. I'm happy with my decision and don't feel guilty be stopping because really it is a medical need for me.

Nurse thinks dressing and gauze change will take 30 days to heal!

[bunnyfrance]

Hi there Bizzee,

How are you healing up? Feeling better?

I had a nurse come round every day, for well over 3 weeks. Towards the end I thought it a bit unecessary as I felt I could have done the dressing change myself as I knew the procedure backwards, but they insisted....they do give you good service here in France, don't they!

[BizzeeBee]

Hi Bunny - healing up nicely thank you! The pain for the dressing change is much less now that there is no mesh in the wound to change, so it's going faster than the nurse initially thought. I'm definitely not up to doing my own dressing change though! My eyes are tightly shut when the dressing is changed.

DS has taken to the bottle and FF, and I'm not expressing milk anymore. Hopefully the leaking will stop in the next week or so.

Thanks for you support. :)

[floydy]

Hi
This is the first time I've posted. I think I have an abscess. It started about 3 weeks ago, a hard lump, presumed it was a blocked duct. Started massage, heat etc. Wasn't too concerned, wasn't painful or red. It just woulnt budge! It became larger, harder and red. Went to doctor who said it was mastitis. He prescribed antibiotics. Started the course, thought it would improve. 4 days into course the lump was so sore, it hurt when I walked and i was feeling rubbish, with flu like symptoms. Unfortunately it was weekend so had to go to out of hours GP. He wouldn't even look at the lump, just prescribed different antibiotics. When I mentioned the possibility of it being an abscess he said we can make an incision if you'd like?! I left, with just the antibiotics. I continued to feel bad, vomiting and feeling nauseous, went back to my GP who did look at lump. He gave me different antibiotics.....again!! When I mentioned my fear of it being an abscess, he said an abscess was nothing to worry about, just a big spot, which may need to be 'squeezed'! I'm now 24 hours into new antibiotics and lump is still large, painful and red. I'm going back to GP again 2moro....I don't want surgery, but I do want someone to take my concerns seriously! Sorry for venting!!

[bunnyfrance]

Hi floydy,

Sorry to hear you are going through this. Definitely sounds like an abscess and you need to be seen by a breast specialist pronto. Can you get yourself to A&E? Are you in the UK? (don't really know how the system works there) Don't want to alarm you, but it really is an emergency and not like a big spot!! Can't believe the GP said that to you. What kind of antibiotics have you been put on?

Are you still breastfeeding and how old is your baby?

[floydy]

Thanks for the reply bunnyfrance Yes am in the uk. My DD is 5 weeks old and yes am still breastfeeding. The breast with the lump isn't producing much though. I express when she sleeps for longer periods in the evening to try and keep breast as empty as possible and can only get about 60ml, whereas the good breast produces about 120-150ml. My health visitor came earlier and she just suggested going back to my GP in the morning if no improvement on these antibiotics as have only been on them for 24 hours so far. I started on flucloxacillin, was then prescribed erythromycin and am now on clarithromycin; which are only one a day antibiotics. Just not sure they are strong enough to do the job! What should I be asking for when I go to the GP 2moro? Don't want to get fobbed off with another course of antibiotics! Can't be doing DD any good either.